James Ciccone Explained

James Ciccone
Birth Place:Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:2006–present
Children:2

James Ciccone is an American actor. He appeared in three seasons as mob boss Carmine Patriccia in the HBO television drama The Deuce.[1] [2] In 2017 Ciccone appeared in the racially charged bio-pic Crown Heights, written and directed by Matt Ruskin, which premiered in competition as a Grand Jury Nomination at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 and won the Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film.[3] [4] In 2023 he teamed-up with Ruskin again in Boston Strangler (film) starring Keira Knightley.[5] In 2019, he appeared in The Kitchen, starring Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish, and the Academy Award nominated films, Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.[6] In late 2021 he can be seen opposite Michael Keaton in Worth, a drama about the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.[7] He has also appeared in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2022),[8] (2023), American Horror Story (2023).

Early life

Ciccone was born in Park Slope, Brooklyn as the tenth child to Anthony Ciccone and Theresa (Merrit) Ciccone; he is of Italian and Irish descent.[9] The family owned a local luncheonette until 1965 when Ciccone's father died.[9] After his father's death Ciccone's mother sold the luncheonette and moved the family to the Gravesend/Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn where she worked full-time as a waitress.[10] [11] As a result, Ciccone was raised largely by his nine older siblings, two of whom had artistic influence on him.[12] [13] Early on in elementary school Ciccone participated in several school plays and by age 11 began playing trumpet in the music program at Public School 153, Brooklyn.[9] For the next five years he continued studying music with Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal.[14] In 1977 Ciccone was accepted into the High School of Performing Arts on 46th Street, New York City. The school gained world recognition with the release of the 1980 multiple Academy Award-winning film Fame.[15] Ciccone studied music at Performing Arts while studying acting with Uta Hagen at HB Studio.[9] [16] [17] He later earned a bachelor's degree at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY and graduated magna cum laude.[18] In 2000 and 2003 respectively he earned master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees[19] from New York Theological Seminary.[20] Ciccone taught briefly for St. John's University, City University of New York (CUNY), and in the graduate program at Metropolitan College of New York, before beginning a professional acting career.[21]

Acting career

In 2006, Ciccone became a member of the small Primary Talent community theatre group housed at the 200-seat Players Theatre in Manhattan.[22] During this time he appeared in several productions including the lead role in Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty.[22] Over the next few years he was cast in a variety of unknown low-budget independent films and several student films at NYU Tish before writing and appearing in his own three short films Nothing for Nothing, Plenty of It, and Neighborhood Nonsense,[23] the latter of which appeared in the 2010 New Filmmakers Film Festival[24] and was featured on Funny or Die.[25] While studying with acting coach Harold Guskin[9] [26] he secured his television debut in an Under-five role as Price, a card-player in the final season of the 54 year running soap, As the World Turns.[27] [28] The following year in 2011 Ciccone landed a multiple day guest star role in an episode of White Collar playing the referee in an underground after-hours boxing club.[29] In 2012 he appeared opposite Donnie Wahlberg and Jennifer Esposito in Blue Bloods[30] and landed a recurring role as Joe Masseria's thug on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.[31] In 2013 he worked opposite Jake McLaughlin[32] and Erik LaRay Harvey[33] in several scenes in an episode of NBC's Believe, directed by Academy Award-winning director Alfonso Cuaron.[34] Ciccone also appeared on network television opposite Debra Messing on The Mysteries of Laura[35] and made guest star appearances as Peter O'Neil on .[36] In 2015, Ciccone was cast in the guest star role of Ronald in Master of None[37] where he worked opposite comedian Aziz Ansari (playing Dev) who employs a citizen’s arrest only to "weirdly kind of sympathize with [him]".[38] Other 2015 Netflix roles include Cabbie opposite Charlie Cox on Daredevil and Vito in Italian Pinata on Difficult People.[39] Also in 2016 Ciccone appeared in the guest star role of truck-rental mobster Frank Capello on Person of Interest.[40] In late 2016 Ciccone was cast as a guest star (Anthony) in the new CBS episodic Bull starring Michael Weatherly.[41] In the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Ciccone appeared in the World Premiere of the racially charged bio-pic Crown Heights, which took home the Festival Audience Award for the US Dramatic competition.[42] In 2017 Ciccone appeared in recurring roles on two major episodics: NBC's Shades of Blue, and HBO’s hit television drama The Deuce[1] starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Also in 2018 Ciccone has made guest star appearances in Fox's primetime network hit, Gotham scene partnering with Robin Lord Taylor, NBC's Blacklist alongside James Spader, and a co-star appearance on ABC's Quantico where he is paired again with Jake McLaughlin.[43] [44] In 2019, he also starred in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, opposite Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro.

Personal life

Ciccone has two daughters, born in 2013 and 2021.[9]

Filmography

Year TitleRoleNotes
2024FBI:Most Wanted (TV Series)Mike MerulloSeason 5 Episode 12: Derby Day[45]
2024 Alto Knights Carlo Gambino Supporting[46] [47]
2023 Boston Strangler Det. Linski Supportings[48]
2023 City on Fire Doorman Recurring, 6 of 8 eps[49] [50]
2023 American Horror Story Angelo DeMarco Guest star
2023 Tomasso Vinzinni Guest star
2023 Catholic Priest Guest star
2023 Somewhere in Queens Louie Supporting, 2022 release
2022 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Monsignor Ricci Guest star (season 4)
2021-2024 Saturday Night Live Older John Higgins / Chef Boyardee / Limo Driver3 episodes (season 46, 49)
2021 Hit & Run CPB Officer Guest star
2020 Worth James Supporting
2019 Joker Trumpets Supporting, 2019 release
2019 The Irishman Anastasia Capo Supporting, 2019 release
2019 The Kitchen Joe Goon Supporting, 2019 release
2018 FBI William Dean Guest star
2018 Manifest James Carlucci Guest star
2018 The Deuce Carmine Patriccia Recurring seasons 1, 2 & 3
2018 Blacklist Gabinelli Guest star
2018 Quantico Dealer Co-guest star
2017 Shades of Blue Officer Lewis Recurring
2017 Bull Anthony Guest star
2017 Gotham Giovanni Co-guest star
2017 Crown Heights Desk OfficerSundance Audience Award 2017
2016 Master of None Ronald Guest star
2016 Peter O'Neil Guest star
2016 Person of Interest Frank Capello Guest star
2016Difficult People Vito Co-guest star
2015 Daredevil Cabbie Co-guest star
2014 The Mysteries of Laura Line Guy Co-guest star
2013 Believe Craps Dealer Guest star
2012 Boardwalk EmpireMasseria Thug Recurring
2012 Blue Bloods Superintendent Co-guest star
2011 White Collar Referee Guest star
2010Roommate Angelo Supporting
2010 Lipstick Jungle Bar Patron Co-guest star
2010As the World Turns Price Recurimg U5
2010 Lotto Carmine Supporting
2010Neighborhood Nonsense Little AlShort
2009 Exit 0 Jack Lead
2009 Plenty of It Little AlShort
2009 Rotten Luck The Boss Supporting
2008 Shine a Light Detective Escort Featured Opp Marty Scorsese
2008Neighborhood Story Al Supporting lead
2008 Samson is the Future Agent DoyleShort
2007 Nothing for Nothing Little Al Short

Notes and References

  1. Deadline Hollywood. Margarita Levieva To Star In HBO Drama Pilot ‘The Deuce’; Two Others Cast.
  2. TV Worth Watching.HBO’s ‘The Deuce’ Goes Down and Dirty into the 70s.
  3. Web site: Crown Heights Nets Sundance U.S. Dramatic Audience Award . January 28, 2017 . January 31, 2017 . Deadline . Joe Utichi .
  4. Web site: Sundance Winners: 'Crown Heights reigns victorious' . January 29, 2017 . January 31, 2017 . USA Today . Patrick Ryan .
  5. Web site: Boston Strangler’ Review: Keira Knightley & Carrie Coon As The Journalists Who Broke One Of The Most Notorious Crime Cases Of All – And Finally Get The Spotlight . March 16, 2023 . March 19, 2023 . Deadline . Pete Hammond.
  6. TalentRafters Magazine. https://www.talentraters.com/blog/from-the-pulpit-to-acting-james-ciccone-lands-key-role-on-hbo-series-the-deuceFrom the Pulpit to Acting James Ciccone Lands Key Role, Nick Christophers. Oct 14, 2017.
  7. Web site: Monday, April 1 Filming Locations for What Is Life?, FBI, SVU, & more!. onlocationvacations.com. April 1, 2019. April 5, 2019. November 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211101004106/https://onlocationvacations.com/2019/04/01/monday-april-1-filming-locations-for-what-is-life-fbi-svu-more/. dead.
  8. https://www.vulture.com/article/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel-recap-season-4-episode-3-everything-is-bellmore.html New York Vulture. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Recap: A Close Friend
  9. Web site: Biography . James Ciccone Website.
  10. Seamens' Society for Children & Families. James Ciccone Shares the Value of his Tough Upbringing
  11. As mentioned in the referenced Interview Value of a Tough Upbringing Ciccone was only two years old at the time of his father's death and had no recollection of him.
  12. Web site: Value of a Tough Upbringing. . Seamens’ Society Interview .
  13. Daily News Archives. Portrait Of An Artist A Young Man Who Died Too Soon, Denis Hamill. Oct 11, 1995
  14. According to Ciccone’s biography he maintained a close relationship with Goldenthal during his formative years due to their families’ relationship (Goldenthal’s half-brother was married to Ciccone’s aunt; his mother’s sister).
  15. The 46th Street location closed shortly thereafter (1984) and merged with the High School of Music & Art (MA), (formerly located in Harlem) to form the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts at a new location across from Lincoln Center.
  16. Web site: Herbert Berghof, Actor, Director And Eminent Acting Teacher, 81. Peter B. Flint. The New York Times. November 6, 1990. 27 October 2014.
  17. The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a school offering professional training in the performing arts. Founded in 1945 by Herbert Berghof and located in Greenwich Village, New York City. its curriculum includes classes in a variety of areas, including acting, directing, playwrighting, screenwriting, musical theatre, movement and dance, puppetry, dialect study, and scene analysis. Select classes require an audition for admission. In 1948, Uta Hagen joined the Studio as Berghof's artistic partner, and the two wed ten years later. Her master classes led to the writing of her books Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor.
  18. Web site: Class of 1995 . Marist College Classmates.
  19. Noted in the Doctor of Ministry 40th Anniversary publication Ciccone's DMin dissertation is a prison ministry demonstration project titled Release: An Approach to Freedom for the X-Offender, p30. Said dissertation is available in the New York Theological Seminary library 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY.
  20. New York Theological Seminary. March 7, 2015. "Doctor of Ministry 40th Anniversary Gathering", P8.
  21. The Metropolitan College of New York was formerly known as the Audrey Cohen College.
  22. Web site: Primary Talent Group . Roster.
  23. http://www.castingnetworks.com/jamesciccone Casting Networks For Entertainment Professionals
  24. Web site: NewFilmmakers Announces Summer Fest 2010.
  25. Web site: Neighborhood Nonsense.. Funny or Die. (directed by James Ciccone). . June 14, 2009 . January 31, 2017.
  26. The New Yorker. The Great Guskin. March 20, 1995 p44.
  27. Deadline Hollywood. Daily Talk Show To Replace As The World Turns On CBS.
  28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0whw9DR8tI Youtube
  29. TV Maze. White Collar. Gloves Off, ep 4:9.
  30. TV.com People. James Ciccone.
  31. TV.com. Boardwalk Empire. A Man, A Plan, ep 3:10.
  32. Getty Images. Jake McLaughlin and James Ciccone
  33. Getty Images. Erik LaRay Harvey and James Ciccone
  34. Deadline Hollywood. Hot TV Teaser: First 2 Minutes of NBC's Believe.
  35. Hollywood.com. Mysteries of Laura: Full Cast and Credits, 2014
  36. TV Maze.com. James Ciccone known for...
  37. Listal. Cast and Credits of Master of None.
  38. The New Yorker. Sickness and Health...Master of None.
  39. Decider. Difficult People 203 Recap: Italian Piñata.
  40. Spoiler TV. Person of Interest. Episode 508, Reassortment. Promotional Photos & Press Release Updated.
  41. Bull, Stockholm Syndrome ep 1:12. Cast Credits and Photos.
  42. Deadline Hollywood. ‘Crown Heights’ Nets Sundance U.S. Dramatic Audience.
  43. Web site: Gotham renewed for season 4. Hibberd. James. Entertainment Weekly. May 10, 2017. May 11, 2017.
  44. Web site: Gotham Season 4 Premiere Moved Up. Nemetz. Dave. July 28, 2017. TVLine. July 28, 2017.
  45. "FBI: Most Wanted" Derby Day (TV Episode 2024) - IMDb . 2024-05-17 . www.imdb.com.
  46. Web site: Wise Guys (2024) Series Cast Summary” . IMDB.
  47. Web site: Letterboxd . July 23, 2023 . October 23, 2023 . Letterboxd.
  48. Web site: Boston Strangler’ Review: Keira Knightley & Carrie Coon As The Journalists Who Broke One Of The Most Notorious Crime Cases Of All – And Finally Get The Spotlight . March 16, 2023 . October 23, 2023 . Deadline . Pete Hammond.
  49. Web site: City on Fire (2023) “Season 1 - Series Cast Summary” . IMDB.
  50. Web site: City On Fire’ Bosses Explain Why The Apple TV+ Series Deviates From Novel’s 1970s Setting . January 18, 2023 . January 22, 2023 . Deadline . Katie Campione.